How long for gonorrhea medication to work?June 23, 2009 12:06 PMSubscribe

How long does it take for gonorrhea medication to work?

Past few days I had intense pain peeing and a disgusting white discharge coming out regularly. Went to the clinic today and they said it was almost certainly gonorrhea. They did tests etc. but gave me the medication right away. One big pill, don't remember the name, then two smaller ones for chlamydia, which they said often came with it. I'm in a lot of discomfort and would love to know (and stupidly forgot to ask) how long it would take before my penis would stop throwing up in my underwear and reminding me of my stupidity ever time i have pee.

Antibiotics generally take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to work depending on the type and location of the infection. As STDs like this are frequently treatable in a single dose--which isn't going to win them any prizes for "most robust bacterium"--you're looking at the shorter end of that timeframe. Wikipedia indicates that you're looking at a 3-5 days, but probably less than a week.

Assuming, that is, that you were 1) diagnosed correctly, and 2) your strain isn't resistant to whatever it was you were given. If either of those things are true, you're looking at an unpleasant beginning to the month of July, I should think.

Also, it's worth pointing out, unpleasant though the thought may be, that any permanent damage is, well, permanent. But even temporary damage caused by swelling, etc. can take a while to heal. Getting rid of the infection is one thing, and the antibiotics will suffice for that purpose. Returning to normal may take longer than that depending on how badly you've got it.posted by valkyryn at 12:17 PM on June 23, 2009

The pill for gonorrhea _probably_ was a penicillin-like antibiotic (a cephalosporin). It should act pretty quickly, as it kills bacteria rather than just stopping their growth. As far as clearing the dead cells and resolving inflammation, valkyryn is correct, that will take a few days. But you should feel better in a few days; if not, talk to your doctor again.posted by davidnc at 12:34 PM on June 23, 2009

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